Recent Articles
The Abuses and Idolatry of American Exceptionalism
To teach American exceptionalism requires ignoring a whole lot about this nation while romanticizing a faulty version of its history. And to do so is, indeed, idolatrous.
Religious Minorities’ Plight Too Often Overlooked
The plight of religious minorities is getting worse, as government restrictions on religion increase worldwide. We must renew our commitment to full participation of religious minorities in economic, social and cultural/religious life.
Autonomous Weapons Systems Raise Moral Questions
The emergence of autonomous weapons systems (AWS) raises moral and ethical questions about their use. Just war theory has guided military engagement for generations, but AWS cannot follow two key elements of this framework.
Churches Have a Faith Problem: Not Believing Women
Repeat a lie long, and often, enough and people will believe it’s true. Some men in the church have been doing this since Christianity began, refusing to believe women are truth-tellers and gospel-proclaimers. It’s past time for this to change.
Churches Continue Practicing, Supporting Conversion Therapy
Conversion therapy, now widely recognized as discriminatory and destructive, is still practiced and supported by local churches who believe you can “pray the gay away.” A forthcoming webinar and video series exposes this harmful practice and reveals the trauma it causes.
Go ‘Spelunking’ in Scripture with Two Nurturing Faith Books
The first two titles in a new book series from Nurturing Faith Books are now available. Join author Bruce Salmon in a spelunking adventure into Jesus’ birth narrative in Luke and into the letters of Paul.
People of Good Faith: Susan Fendley
Susan Fendley is a retired federal attorney, who has served as a church deacon and in committee leadership roles for nonprofit groups and boards. She is serving on GFM’s strategic advisory board for news and opinion.
Will People of Faith Respond to Climate Tipping Point?
A new UN report this week revealed we are at a tipping point on climate change, requiring immediate and substantive actions to avoid warming beyond the 1.5°C threshold. Will people of good faith respond?
Acknowledging Dysfunction Offers Rare Common Ground in Polarized U.S.
Shared recognition that democracy is not functioning well is a rare place of common ground for U.S. adults. A strong majority believes the nation’s democratic institutions are struggling, with general agreement on pathways to correct the problems.
Stepping Towards 51, Looking Back Over 50
Turning 51 offers an opportunity to look back and to step forward. With gratitude for the relationships and experiences over five decades, I can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Is Texas Lawmakers’ Absence Conscientious Objection?
The political maneuvering in Texas related to voting law changes sought by the GOP has resulted in questions about what it means to be faithful to one’s oath and one’s convictions.
How to Be Part of the Solution as the Pandemic Continues
From doctors and nurses to public health department officials, the heavy burden on health care workers is causing physical and emotional burnout. Here are three ways you can be part of the solution rather than contributing to the problem.
Moving Targets
The hummingbird’s fast-moving wings pose a challenge to photographers wishing to capture a clear image. Similarly, public health officials must regularly change their guidance to “hit” the moving target that is the COVID-19 virus.
Church-School Partnerships Must Be Bigger than Backpacks
Churches who want to support their community schools must focus on more than the typical backpack ministries. Here are three guideposts to help your congregation effectively engage and support local schools.
Freedom Untethered from the Common Good Is ‘Juvenility’
Many adults are not practicing the values we teach our children, championing a notion of freedom untethered from the common good. True freedom is not merely freedom from, but freedom for.
Vaxxed or Vexed? It’s Both for Me
The “vaxxed” are rightly vexed at the continued rejection of science by the unvaccinated. Guided by unreliable sources, the vaccine resistant have allowed COVID-19 to come roaring back.
Freedom Without Responsibility is Moral Adolescence
Freedom is ubiquitous in U.S. public discourse these days, but many hold a flawed understanding of the term. The exercise of freedom without a sense of responsibility for the common good is moral adolescence.
More Black Americans Report Mistreatment
More than half of all Black Americans reported being mistreated in 2021, a Gallup survey found. The largest rise was in reports of unfair treatment while shopping.
Woe to Churches Shaming Women and Protecting Abusers
Too often churches have protected wolves in suits and ties, in clergy robes and collars, diminishing and discounting the horrific experiences of women and children. Woe to those who care more about the appearance of godliness than its application.
K-12 Parents Diverge from General Public on COVID Mandates
Mask and vaccine mandates to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 are supported by a majority of U.S. adults. However, a new Gallup report found lower levels of support among parents of school-age children.
Malala Yousafzai Continues to Model Courage, Entrepreneurial Spirit
Now 24, Malala Yousafzai continues to demonstrate how to carry out disruptive innovations that empower people to create compassionate change. The world is a better place because of her.
Liberation Requires Direct, Communal Action
The efforts of Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri) and others resulted in an extension to the pandemic eviction moratorium. Her actions are a testimony to the power of communal work.
Protecting Children from COVID Is Worth Potential Family Strife
As Delta variant cases surge among the unvaccinated in the U.S., parents will have to make hard decisions to protect their children that could cause strife with extended family. Here are five suggestions to help you navigate the months ahead.
U.S. Correctional Population Declines for 12th Straight Year
More than a decade of population decline in the U.S. correctional system continued in 2019, according to a new government report. Still, there were over 6.3 million people in the U.S. correctional system that year.
August 6, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Judge Wendell Griffen Criticizes Christian Conservatives Refusing Masks and Rejecting Vaccines; Evangelicals Voice Support After Biden Nominates First Muslim to Religious Freedom Post; Fox News Viewers’ Vaccine Skepticism Drops to Record Low, Poll Finds; and more
Christians, Please Stop Killing Yourselves and Others
White evangelical Christians are declining the COVID-19 vaccine based primarily upon political rhetoric and misinformation. Please, stop killing yourselves and others. Getting the vaccine does not devalue your faith.
Sacrificing Children in Bible-Quoting and -Toting America
Vaccine resistance and rejection of mask wearing remains high in the Bible-quoting and Bible-toting portions of the U.S. Sadly, many Christians seem willing to sacrifice our nation’s children to the fire of COVID-19 variants.
Vaccine-Resistant Christians Are Testing God
Speeding past “Dead End Ahead” signs on a “road to nowhere” is an apt description of the vaccine-resistant. Those who are Christians among this group are testing God.
August 5, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Sociologist: The Anti-Vaccine Con Job is Becoming Untenable; Wade Morris, Falls Creek Camp Guest Pastor, Dies of COVID-19 Complications; ‘Pray Away’ Director on Conversion Therapy: ‘It’s a Movement of Hurt People, Hurting Other People’ The Stunning, Norse-Inspired English Church of Balestrand, Norway; and more
Waste Not … Your Influence
“Waste not, want not” is sage advice for many areas of life, including our personal influence. Let’s find creative ways to encourage the vaccine-resistant to get their shots to help save lives.